Shinnnyo-en is an interesting sect of Buddhism. Currently being led by the founder's daughter, the priestess Shinso Ito. They've done a lot of charity work around the world, though their practice seems abit strange and almost business-like.

What do you think?

“To be fully alive is to have an aesthetic perception of life because a major part of the world's goodness lies in its often unspeakable beauty.”― Yukitaka Yamamoto

The leadership is steered as a dynastic family legacy; two Sisters (Tomoji and Shinjō) daughters of the civilian/zaibatsu aircraft engineer, turned Shingon (Fire) priest founder and his wife as high priestesses. Another sister rejects and has no role in the new religion. Two other siblings however that perished early on as children, while the founder and his wife were promoting and perfecting the rites and esoteric narrative basis for the new religion are now deified in the teaching and exist as statues to be prayed to by followers.

[...]

Renosha, (Jpn. reinōsha), are members with higher rank who have trained and met certain Sheshin training criteria and tenure. They are spiritual leaders capable of performing so-called Shessin training and rituals of meditation. A trance-like state is entered into by the Renosha and then guidance and fortune telling to the follower with specific questions written, submitted and paid for beforehand are then focused on. Advice from Renosha is delivered and spoken while in trance or communication with whatever spiritual realm in alternate voices (pitch, tone cadence) or even foreign tongues to followers who have paid the fees and requested it.

How typical is this of Shingon in general? My initial impression (or second impression--I dimly recall looking this up before, after seeing a photo of their temple in the Christian Science Monitor) can be expressed as a mischievous analogy:

(2)their new leader is an legitamate ordained Shingon preistess so thats a PLUS

(3)they ask for donations of money for their meditation sessions and they have oracales.(ive seen the same thing in Tibetan Buddhism so I cannot complain to much)...i however am not to big on those things..

(4)from experience talking with members they are very secretive......you cannot learn their meditation methods unless your a member. They rarely post their teachings and views openly...only to let you know they exist.

There meditation is very individualized,the oracles essentially tells each person what so work on and gives them a specific individual meditation practice......most members I have talked to have done some type of aspiration prayers while meditating....most reported lovingkindness types of meditations.

(5) I checked/became interested in them cause they claim to be a sect founded on the Nirvana Sutra......cool However.....it seems that almost every single member I have talked too,has never even read the Nirvana Sutra or even opened up the book.... In fact many I talk to claim to have only read their founders commentary on the Nirvana Sutra.

(6)MOST of the members were very kind and friendly,probably some of the most gental people I have ever met.With that said they do have some strange views.

Does anyone know anything about this organization? All I can figure out is that it is a lay organization which branched from Shingon and is sometimes referred to as a "cult" in some ways like how SGI is sometimes referred to as a cult.

Are the cult allegations warranted? Is it just simply another school/organization? Or is it something to steer clear from? Many don't like that the head of Shinyyo-en is referred to as "Her Holiness" and, while I can see how this can be an issue for many, is a title like that really that cult-ish? The Dalai Lama is almost always referred to as "His Holiness" and no one bats an eye.

Does anyone know anything about this organization? All I can figure out is that it is a lay organization which branched from Shingon and is sometimes referred to as a "cult" in some ways like how SGI is sometimes referred to as a cult.

Are the cult allegations warranted? Is it just simply another school/organization? Or is it something to steer clear from? Many don't like that the head of Shinyyo-en is referred to as "Her Holiness" and, while I can see how this can be an issue for many, is a title like that really that cult-ish? The Dalai Lama is almost always referred to as "His Holiness" and no one bats an eye.

If your interested in the group study their main Sutra the Nirvana Sutra and check out their groups and go to a meeting.......as far as "cult" goes they are not jim jones types.......they do have some strange views on some things but you dont have to accept everything a group believes to be able to practice and benifit from them.